searched "rock hard stomach" and this came up.seeing as my gp says I don't have OC and I am certain I don't have IBS,could this be the problem.? I know its not IBS.i had IBS years ago and never had a swollen abdomen then-did have the diarrheoa and constipation back then.
Types of Cancers
A hard stomach could indicate two types of stomach cancers. Cancer can form in the stomach lining or muscle walls. A tumor may form in the stomach lining, and the tumor could cause a hard bump on the stomach. Another type of stomach cancer affects the stomach muscles and causes rigid, leather-like scar tissue. Stomach cancer can spread to adjacent organs, and cause any part of the affected organ in the body's trunk to feel hard.
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anbuma
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Anbuma, having almost lost a close relative to stomach cancer, and having my childhood friend dying of the same, I can pretty much guarantee that you wouldn't be weighing in as obese if that's what it was. While it may create a 'rock hard swelling', it usually causes rapid and dramatic weight loss too. If you've had IBS before, it's far more likely you have it now, it isn't a condition that cures itself, rather a chronic condition that flares up now and then.
I'm sure lots of people will think I'm being harsh, but googling symptoms on the internet is a really bad idea when you are already so anxious about your health. It is far more likely to be PID than cancer, have you booked in for that smear test yet?
I have lost weight suddenly on 2 occasions everywhere else which wasnt acknowledged and the only reason I am said to be obese (based on BMI) is cos of the weight gain on my stomach.if it wasnt for that I would be a normal size 12.just want to rule out other possibilities.dr needs to measure "my waist" rather than my weight.I say once again I only search on the internet about stuff other members have said.
I'm talking skeletal thin, not a few inches here and there. If you had stomach cancer, and had it for as long as you have had these symptoms, you would know about it.
Hi anbuma, probably doesn't help much but just to say.My husband had all you describe re the weight increase,hard stomach weight only around the stomach,12 kgs weight gain etc etc... Unlike you tho he had no scans,or checks as to why.Finally he changed his food intake,which like yourself we would have said was not an awful lot really and mostly the right kinds of foods. Bingo, it worked and took off all that stomach fat pretty much but it was extreme,which was the only way to shift it.He reduced to 1200 calories a day intake and worked off 1800 in a gym.it still took about 1 year for it to happen even at that rate,which is not to be recommended really! Just to say since you have been pretty thoroughly tested and checked for any illness and nothing seems to be there,it seems like it could be a similar picture with yourself.he was never what one would describe as sedentary but the walking and normal activity during the day did absolutely nothing to help the stomach weight gain.it does take desperate measures once it's there it's stubborn stuff! Shame of it is,once that harsh regime stopped and he went on to normal calorie intake with sustainable excersize output,it pretty much all came back,as ever round the middle.He was 63 when he reduced the 'growth'. IMHO such a lot is down to ageing and what's in our genes and it's a damned hard fight against those things!
I have never heard of women "getting fat " around the stomach when age related.i don't know what else I am supposed to do when I have already changed what I eat which doesn't include cake sbiscuits puddings etc as not eaten these fro years.my calorie intake is far below what it should be so cant reduce that anymore.if it s thyroid related than dr needs to treat hypothyroidism or cushings then needs to investigate that.idid ask if it could be anything else and he didn't know.do I suggest thyroid and cushings
Anbuma- if a woman is going to have weight issues as she ages it is ALWAYS mainly centred around the stomach area. It is not only fat layers it is muscle and internal organs that have lost strength and sag also making the appearance of a fat belly.
Have you not mentioned thyroid or cushings to him before? If not then of course it's worth asking him about that, particularly cushings as you haven't had tests for that x
I have lost weight since I have been on levothyroxine, but it has all been from my waist/stomach.
When I started I was a size 16. One and a half stone later I am a 16 top and a 12/14 bottom. My bust measurement is the same, but I have lost six inches from my waist and a corresponding amount from my stomach.
Wow! That brilliant - have you done anything differently? I've been doing 1200 cals and tried the 5:2 fast diet but weight around middle gained in last 2 years refuses to budge. Seeing endo tomorrow and hoping to start on levo. What dose did you get to before the weight started to come off? I'd be over the moon if it worked for me X
I knocked out chocolate, crisps and beer for 4 weeks to kick start it, but that was all. I started on 75mcg and felt benefits from the very first dose.
By the way, you might find you are no longer a true 16 top if the weight has gone off your middle. A certain bra shop that caters for the fuller bust now does a gorgeous clothing range which allows room for ample boobage, without having to wear big all over. Good for showing off your new waistline x
I'm ecstatic! I got a pair of size 12 jeans on at the weekend. I had to take them off again when I realised I couldn't actually sit down, but what the hell, it was close!
If you don't mind me asking, why were you on the omeprazole to begin with? Mine is for GERD. Have they changed it since you had your gall bladder op? X
Hi anbuma, to be honest bloating, trapped wind comes to mind. I suffer from this especially when I'm really tired. I gave up bread recently and the difference is incredible. Are you eating a lot of salads? If you look at what kind of diet reduces the bloating in IBS, it may help your tum. Also constipation can makes your tum really hard.
You can put on a lot of central fat on with diabetes and cortisol issues. Have you had these checked out?
hi there .I don't eat salads at all and only have bread as toast occasionally.rarely constipated .the hardness is not in lower stomach where I would feel consitpation if I had it,but in central area around my belly button and it feels like hard edges with a hollow wher emy belly button is.neve rbeen tested fro diabetes from what I know
I'd get a scan. It could be almost anything!! I had exactly the same thing-ended up being a fibroid in the uterus which grew to 22cm. The reason my stomach went hard etc was that the uterus was pushing all other organs up out of the way to allow for that fibroid. It's slowly going down, taken about 6 mths to finally be flat-ish!
** And on another note about searching the Internet...Why not?!!! panicked or not it saves lives. If I had of searched 3 years ago my ThyCa would not have spread as no doctor bothered to check...and thank god for the Internet now as if I hadn't of self-diagnosed in Jan it would've spread out of control. In an ideal world we trust GPs etc to research & resolve problems but in this world often we need to trust ourselves & do the hard work (research) ourselves then take findings to get confirmation & treatment.
Perhaps if you read Anbuma's history, and previous posts, you might understand where the internet comment came from. 3 months ago she was convinced the same symptoms were ovarian cancer and abdominal scans showed it wasn't...when someone suffers from health anxiety and has already had certain clear tests, the internet can be psychologically very damaging. All it does here is create a perpetual cycle between Anbuma and her GP which gets her nowhere. I'm glad it worked for you, however it was a well meant comment for someone who worries herself sick about endless serious illnesses.
My comment was also well meant Shiny, just because it differs from yours doesn't make it wrong. It was not a private conversation & was open to all opinions, even if you disagree. I won't reply again as you're in control of Anbuma's conversation & I would not want to cause anyone harm (if you right & I am wrong) but don't assume I am not aware of what I'm writing or someone's history. I was a painful hypochondriac myself to all doctors I saw for over 5 years, suffering shocking 'health anxiety & thought I had every condition known to man however I did this as I knew something was wrong and strangely enough something was very wrong...in my case.
Of course I'm not in control!?? Nor did I say you were wrong, I was simply answering the 'why the hell not' question since I was the one who said I didn't think it was a good idea. I assumed (perhaps wrongly) you didn't know the history because you suggested a scan - which was recently done and clear. I apologise if I have inadvertently offended you by answering your question.
I an not suffering from health anxiety -want to find out the cause of my problems as not getting answers.it still leaves the question OC is very hard to detect and mistaken for bowel conditions as happened to Babs (god rest her soul)RIP Babs
Ok, certainly you appear to be very anxious about your health and think you have a number of serious conditions. If reading up about different types of cancer puts your mind at rest, then I am obviously wrong, it's an excellent idea...
maybe my gps/consultants should give me answers/diagnoses (which others have had with exactly the same as me) and not tell me to "wear make up"etc and accept what I tell him instead of dismissing me to recognize and acknowledge symtpoms instead of just relying on "normal" blood tests which cant be said to be normal if never tested before.something is wrong and need to get to bottom of it.others hwo have had gallbladder removed tell of after effects which could well apply to me.i suggest you don't respond to my posts anymore
how ddi you find out about the fibroid.ive read/heard this somewhere before and have had pressure on my stomach and ribs fro a long time.re the internet-totally agree.given no answers -since last august and op -further symptoms not taken seriously and no diagnosis other than assumption of IBS.
I asked GP to refer me to gynecologist after reading the net...aside from the obvious problems I was also anemic (they use a massive blood supply), back pain, terrible periods, constipation, runs (told I had IBS) etc. I had had scans which didn't identify a prob in report so I told the radiologist that they needed to check the growth of the fibroid so they concentrated on finding it & did..but it grew very quickly in my case, the gyno did internal ultrasound also. Apparently several small fibroids can do same but I only had the one. The gyno said I also had huge stomach adhesions from bowel to stomach which caused protrusion as well.
I believe - If your symptoms are actually real & genuine & not based on anxiety ie your stomach is NOT protruding, you don't have other symptoms yet you are endlessly searching for a cure/diagnosis then one may be suffering 'health anxiety' but if these things really do exist then it is natural & healthy to search for a cure. Most advice given on these forums is indeed found initially on the Internet. People have told me also that looking at the net is damaging but they don't realise I am worse why I have no answers etc and I am not frightened nor distressed by what I read. I find knowledge to be empowering; ignorance to be disempowering and people that told me to give up & ignore my symptoms to be an outright pain the butt. Anyway glad to help. Power to you in your search!! Xx
As I said before, damaging when that person then convinces themselves and what's worse, others who actually ARE suffering, that they have a terminal illness, when all they have done is got hold of too much information that they can't deal with and blindly run with it. Pain in the butt I may be, and if getting personal helps you strengthen your argument, I can take it on the chin.
Aren't most of us here because we're having trouble getting our doctors to treat us with consideration and compassion? And don't many of us find that compassion here with fellow sufferers?
Yes, absolutely, I don't think anyone was saying otherwise. It was very much to do with googling symptoms that have been there for years and worrying about all the cancers a search engine throws up. It concerns me as I follow the posts where she is convinced she has cancer. In being concerned, I appear to be telling her to ignore her symptoms and live with it, and be a pain in the rear. Only kindness intended on my part!
Shiny this is getting inappropriate. I have not directed any questions to you. This is Anbuma's post, not yours. I was talking about people "I" knew, I wrote in past tense. Did I know you then? No. So how could I be speaking about you? Stop reacting & interfering when I am speaking to someone else. I was not writing to or about you, I was responding to Anbuma's direct question to me. Anyway Shiny since we now are conversing, How do you actually know for certain there is definitely, certainly nothing wrong with Anbuma? It's a big call for you to make.
This forum is about kindly giving advice, not telling members what to do. Your previous message to her was condescending & sarcastic. Extremely opinionated. Let people think & act for themselves. If she wants to search for answers, let her. If I want to support her in her search, don't interfere. I have absolutely no idea what your first paragraph relates to, but certainly not about me or Anbuma I hope. You obviously have a problem about someone Terminal believing someone else's concerns but that is your issue not to be put onto others. Anyway who are you to ignorantly judge so harshly?
I will not lower myself to respond to your rant, which you've been itching to have from the get go, save to say this. To Anbuma - I have NEVER said there is nothing wrong with you despite what this woman says. Ever. I am very sorry you are not getting the answers you deserve, and I do think you should keep pushing for them. I don't think you have cancer, I think the tests should put your mind at rest, but there are many other suggestions that people have given that are less serious and just as plausible, and it would be great if you could get your GP to follow them up. My opinion, which I am after all entitled to, having seen how you tie yourself in knots over many serious diseases, is that the internet is not always a good thing. It has made my mother very very unwell with anxiety over health, I wish to god she had never learnt to use it. So I'm not being completely ignorant when I say that. She was looking for answers too, she end up much poorlier mentally than she was physically in the first place. I do try and support you, yes I get frustrated because sometimes you seem to have moved past something and be positive, then move back again, but I hope you know that there is no ill will involved at all. I'm sorry I've had to explain myself on your thread but my motives have been questioned publicly, and publicly, I want you to know my motives. I don't actually give a flying F what anyone else thinks x
Hi Shiny. I am very sorry to hear about your mum. We both are obviously coming from places of pain. You, having to watch your mother become devastated by what she found and me; being fobbed off for years getting sicker & sicker only to be 'saved' by the information I found. Go in peace. Have a safe & loving Easter everyone.
in reply to
Shiny - perhaps time to step away from the keyboard? You're being very abrasive and not helping the OP.
OP?its obvious shiny has a problem-as she admitted she is above everyone else and doesn't give a ---- what others think.i agree with cinnamon-girl.step away.
She has left the site by the looks of it, so you won't be bothered. In fairness, I think you may have misunderstood, it appears to have been an apology to you, to the exclusion of all others. It is addressed to you. Perhaps shiny was trying to make it right with you? I don't know, I'm new to the site, but he/she obviously was upset enough to leave.
to rose2408.as shiny s comments are getting in appropriate suggest private messaging.most on here offer advice,sympathy and share their experiences.i am not alone in being dismissed by gp's .administrators have warned recently about inappropriate (?)posts .
Hi anbuma, I had a very swollen stomach a couple of years ago although it wasn't really hard. It was however very tight and made eating very uncomfortable. Turned out it was a lack of stomach acid. I now take pills with all protein containing meals and it has completely gone. Just a thought cos I know how frustrating not knowing can be. Hope you find an answer soon. Good luck
Hi, I had all the the same problems as denvajade. It has taken a long time to sort them out. Don't quote me but I think if you take anti acid meds it can stop you producing stomach acid. The symptoms of too much or too little acid can be the same. However with too little acid my stomach was very swollen, I take hydrochloric acid tabs and my stomach has returned to normal and I have no heartburn anymore. A nutritionalist told me what and how to take them but your gp might be able to.
For low or absent stomach acid, it is possible to buy a substitute - betaine hydrochloride (or betaine hcl) + pepsin - without prescription in the UK. I used to be able to buy it in a branch of GNC but they no longer stock it, so I have to buy online. Look on Amazon UK for reviews and to see what brands and dosages are available, then do some comparison shopping.
Doctors and pharmaceutical companies shovel antacids and drugs at people to reduce indigestion and stomach acid. But in many cases the problem is actually too little stomach acid - it just so happens that the symptoms feel very similar to the person suffering.
It is important to be sure that you actually have a problem with stomach acid before using betaine hcl, so do lots of research - don't just dive in blindly.
Try out the baking soda test - not very scientific but worth doing :
hi that sounds plausible.i have very little appetite (for few years now)and was taking omeprazole until an A&E dr said to stop.so gp prescribed lansoprazole instead.could these have the same effect.-preventing stomach acid.it has got a lot worse sinc ei had my gallbladder removed last august.
I had my gallbladder removed 5 years ago and I now get a bloated stomach extremely painful and symptoms of gallstone pain 3 weeks ago I had an endoscopy to see what was going on and they found I have biliary reflux and antral gastritis having never heard of biliary reflux I googeld it and low and behold there where most of my symptoms along with the gastritis according to my GP I am on the treatment for both, until I see the gastroenterologist again I still in live in hope something else can be done to relieve the symptoms of both conditions. I also rake lansaprazole and a whole host of other drugs for autoimmune disease. When my stomach gets bad I can only drink water and even that is painful I look 9 months pregnant for days (not a good look at 50) and struggle to keep weight on I have a reduced diet due to certain foods setting off symptoms.
All you can do is go to your GP see if he will send you to see a Gastroentrologist but if your not losing weight then there probably isn't too much to worry about.
just caught a clip on ITV 's this morning and they had a TV doctor on the programme talking about IBS and it s normally women that get it between the ages of 20 and 30.with constant diarrheoa and constipation.i dont have either
Hi there you are right schoolhouse i too have a a huge stomach problem like 9 months pregnant, finally found that enzymes in stomach, and bile both lacking due to gallbladder removal years ago and now got compromised liver which normally would supply bile to stomach when gallbladder removed.in two weeks i have had major results.
That sounds really positive denvajade, particularly for Anbuma too, as you were only saying last month that you had the identical problems. How did they get to the bottom of this? Can they treat it? X
Hi, just by my constantly going to the doctor, another doctor was in her room as an inspector and he came up with mebervine(a stomach relaxant,taken before each meal, then remembering i had my gallbladder removed many years ago and since been on meds that have compromised my liver which takes over the gb job when it is removed, so i did not have bile to digest food correctly, now on enzyes each day. cheers
I had this. It was not cancer. A gastroenterologist prescribed Donatal which is a combination of bella donna and some relaxant. It worked IMMEDIATELY to relax the muscle.
But surely anbuma any mass type thing would have shown on the scan you had done on the stomach for OC. Once they are going to the expense of doing OC scan they almost certainly would have scanned the surrounding area,just in case,especially if anyone medically trained noticed the stomach area as rock hard and enlarged un-naturally. Do you still have the very bad pelvic pain,a few months back you were saying it was stopping you walking etc Have you thought of a prolapse?
in reply to
I was scanned for ovarian cancer after a false positive test, you are right they scan the whole abdomen, bladder, liver, kidneys, stomach etc, taking measurements looking for anything that could cause pain or swelling or inflammatory test results.
Doctors do make mistakes--goodness knows, we all know that here--we see it all the time {sigh} But I think it's really unlikely that you have cancer, Anbuma. You've had vague symptoms for a long time and most cancers, particularly ovarian cancer and stomach cancer, progress very quickly. If it was either of those things, I suspect you'd be extremely ill by now (if not dead, to be blunt). I completely get how worried you must be (my mother died from a rare form of ovarian cancer) and how frustrating it is to not know why you feel unwell but I think you should take some comfort from the fact that your GP has listened and has run lots of tests to put your mind at rest.
I don't think I've ever read anywhere how tall you are, what size clothes you wear and how much you weigh? Plus it might be interesting to keep a food diary for a while to see whether there are any foods that upset you more than others. I can't help wondering whether your issues are due to you having a sensitivity to something you're eating or drinking.
I am 5'6" size 12-14 apart from my stomach which measures 45"(measured a few days ago and up 2" from last measurement but i sometimes have to buy large /size 16-18 tops to cover my stomach and only wear elasticated waists)the dr measured my weight as between 87-88 kgs but don't feel that can be taken into consideration as weight gain is all abdominal.before started gaining weight on stomach I was 11.5 stone that was in sept 2005 next weighed in sept 2011 from when it started to increase as stomach got bigger and heavier.(more so since august last year when had gallbladder op).I haven't kept a food dairy but have gone thru the process of cutting out wheat for a month and have had gluten and allergy tests done at home plus have ordered a lactose test .as i eat very little dairy or bread or much of anything I don't food is the problem.i have cut out cauliflower broccoli and mashed potatoes as advised by dr c os he said they cause bloating.i have definitely felt bloating after eating cauliflower /cauli cheese but not mash,
anbuma, are you being treated for hypothyroidism? I had a big belly on levo, and it disappeared when I started taking a bit of t3 as well. It was just fluid retention, which can come on very suddenly and make it difficult to move easily. x
no not yet as gp says cos TSH is "normal" at 3.32 wont treat it and when just felt sides of my neck and said " I cant feel anything" which is a phrase he has used a lot.were you prescribed T3.i purchased some and only took half a tablet and felt absolutely horrible.so didnt take anymore.i know people have bought these on the internet .has anyone else felt like that?
researched "rock hard stomach"as suggested by someone else could be that.seeking answers to finding out what is making my stomach hard.this suggests a problem with the stomach walls /lining -also a fibro symptom?
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x
What should be my next move?
First endo appointment next week...what should I be asking for?
When should I send for a test?
Should I see my gp or an endo or who? 
How slowly should I come off T3 to see if I can actually cope on my own now?
